Welcome to July and (appropriately) really hot weather! I know this makes most people leery of cooking – and I can certainly understand this, but we still have to eat. So I decided that I would pass along some recipes for cooling the body this week. Interestingly enough, hot foods make us less hot. In many warm weather regions the cuisine is dominated by spice and heat, pepper and big flavors. Filling our blood and taste buds with cayenne helps release heat the way panting works for a dog!
Now on the other hand, foods with dairy (you know, the good stuff – cream, sour cream, all forms of milk, creamy cheeses, etc.) can cool down the effect of the spice on our tongues. So if you want the heat without the burn, you need to finish the hot stuff off with some kind of cooling cream.
This week’s recipes still require you to cook – but not for too long, and the results will be delicious and useful.
The recipe for the Creole Duck Gumbo is just really good. It may not seem like summer food, but you’ll eat it inside, and you don’t have to go outside to grill it, so I think it will work. People are a bit uncomfortable about duck for some reason. Try not to be! It’s really good and offers something different – a new challenge if you will. It’s not always easy to find, but try Papa Joe’s or Westborn and you should find it. Also, call Ventimiglia’s Market in
The Curried Lamb Burgers will be featured in this week’s Taste-full Tasting at Cloverleaf (there are a couple spots left if you want to taste one!), and they’re perfect with the Cilantro Almond Pesto, wrapped in a tasty pita bread instead of a bun. The pesto is non-traditional, but really the word pesto just means “paste”, and the texture is creamy and light and citrusy and a tiny bit crunchy all at the same time. It’s really good on spicy grilled shrimp, or even just on tortilla chips.
So enjoy the heat and drink lots of water (but if your mouth is on fire, try milk!).
Happy July :)
